These obscure villages get national attention

Swashakti is the most powerful mantra that people in Kasbe Katkur and Gopalraopalle villages believe the most. And rightly so, these nondescript villages got national-level recognition for the year 2015-16.

Sircilla: Swashakti is the most powerful mantra that people in Kasbe Katkur and Gopalraopalle villages believe the most. And rightly so, these nondescript villages got national-level recognition for the year 2015-16.

While Kasbe Katkur has been selected for the Sashaktikaran Puraskar in the category of thematic sanitation, Gopalraopalle made it in the general category. Incidentally, both the villages come under Tangallapalli mandal in Rajanna-Sircilla district.

A peek into Kasbe Katkur village’s development gives an idea of how the residents transformed their habitation into a model one. The kind of activities taken up in this tiny pleasant looking village that has a 1,100-odd population indicates that they are very disciplined and willing to experiment for their own betterment.

The village looks cleaner and greener with all the 267 households achieving 100 per cent integrated sanitary latrines and water harvesting pits. This apart, water pumping in the village is being carried out by using solar power.

Installation of hanging dustbins is one of the experiments that caught the imagination of one and all. It is also believed to have caught the attention of the authorities at the national level.

The Central team, which visited Kasbe Katkur and Gopalraopalle village in January, showered appreciation at the concept of hanging dustbins. The panchayat set up hanging dustbins at all pivotal points in the village so that people could use them conveniently to discard waste. Hanging dustbins are very convenient for the sanitation workers to transfer the waste into tricycles.

On the other hand, Gopalraopalle that has 1,700-odd population has also witnessed sustainable development. The track record of the village is exceptional with up-to-date maintenance of panchayat records and conduct of Gram Sabhas.

Speaking to The Hans India, Kasbe Katkur Sarpanch Ponnam Manjula said, “Credit goes to all villagers, without whose support, the award would not have been possible. Moreover, the support extended by the Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K T Rama Rao and District Collector Krishna Bhaskar was unbelievable.”

With the Minister’s initiative, the government has provided Rs 2.50 crore for the development of roads and other infrastructure in the village. Expressing his happiness, Gopalraopalle Sarpanch Asireddy Ram Reddy said their village was an example of what people could achieve if united.

“The expert advice programmes we organised for the benefit of farmers and the plantation drive (Haritha Haram) etc have yielded good results,” he added.

These villages will get Rs 10 lakh as part of the Sashaktikaran Puraskar, it is learnt, at a programme organised on the occasion of National Panchayat Raj Day in Lucknow on April 24. Both the Sarpanches - Manjula and Asireddy Ram Reddy will receive the award from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.